A/N: This was born of my frustration over the end of the VR-arc, because I felt like Seto's actions were ooc without explanation. Like... the Blue Eyes are Seto's pride and soul, he's not going to stand there gormlessly waiting for Yami to tell him to use them, and he's certainly not going to stand idly by and lose his brother so soon after Duelist Kingdom.
So I fixed it.
Beta'ed by the fantastic iced-blood, y'all should go read his work.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Takahashi Kazuki does. (Believe me, if I did, it would be a very different series.)
As Seto listened to the Big Five talk, he clenched his fists. He knew what this was - this wasn't about a fight, this was about humiliation.
His eyes widened in shock as the Mythic Dragon prepared to fire again. "No, you wouldn't -"
Of course they would, the bastards.
Mokuba stood frozen in terror as the yellow light raced towards him, and then a large mass slammed into him, sending him sprawling,
He heard a dragon roar.
No.
No no no - "NII-SAMA!"
The beam finally dispersed, leaving behind a figure on his hands and knees.
"… Kaiba?"
Seto gave a strained smirk, trying to marshal the energy needed to stand. "Heh."
"Nii-sama!" There were tears in Mokuba's eyes as he tackled Seto in a hug. Who put them there? Was it him?
"Kaiba…" he heard Mai murmur. "I don't understand, how did you…?"
Seto held up his Duel Disk, showing his single remaining life point. Drawing strength from Mokuba, he stood, and glared up at the men daring to wear the mask of a dragon. "I'm not going to die that easy, am I? The game is rigged - you won't get rid of me until you've had your fun. Until I suffer and beg?"
He knew men like this, could be a man like this with the right motivation. "Dying to save my brother - that would be much too kind. Too noble. So I must continue to live, until you get bored." Seto clenched his fists. "But what you fail to understand that that one life point gives me all the advantage I need to defeat you."
Seto stood tall, stepping in front of Mokuba. "I summon the Blues Eyes White Dragon to form the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Three dragons roared above them, soaring and fusing into a majestic three-headed beast. Mokuba looked up at his brother's tall form, silhouetted and highlighted in turn by the storm of light above them. He was like a mountain, stronger than, even, Mokuba's trusted protector. Seto pulled another card from his deck and Mokuba gasped, pressing closer to him.
That card...
"And thanks to this Magic Card, I have more than enough power to beat you." Seto sneered, his smile dark and cruel. "You should have killed me when you had the chance. Blue Eyes, finish this!"
The Mythic Dragon and the Big Five screamed as the white lightning tore through them, and the others threw up their arms to shield their eyes from the light. Seto stared straight forward at his dragon.
When the light cleared, they were alone.
Mokuba grinned. "You did it, Nii-sama! You beat them!"
Seto's lips ticked up. "We did it. If I didn't have that card, my Blue Eyes wouldn't have been enough."
Mokuba beamed up at him.
Seto looked back at the others with a smirk. "I told you I didn't need your help."
Joey scowled, but Yugi just smiled. "I'm glad we were here in case you did need us."
"I wouldn't have. Override code: 10250707."
A swirling black portal opened up in front of them. "The exit portal," Seto said shortly. He had Board members to take care of.
"Say, what was that last Magic Card, anyway?" Mai asked. "I don't think I've ever seen one with that kind of power and health boost."
"That doesn't surprise me."
"The Fury of Zilant is an ultra rare card," Mokuba explained excitedly, "There are only four in the whole world!" The young boy grinned proudly. "I spentmonths tracking it down so I could give it to Nii-sama for his birthday."
Seto smiled faintly, resting his hand on Mokuba's shoulder, pride and affection in every line of his body. "Thank you."
"Hunh," Joey muttered, "Whaddya know, Kaiba has a heart after all."
Seto's gaze slid back to Joey, danger and warning in his eyes. "It's time to go."
They stepped through the portal and left the virtual world behind.
A/N: Yeah, Fury of Zilant is a made-up dragon-support card. *shrug* Takahashi himself has the cards and game behave differently in the series to better tell the story, so take that as you will.
Internet brownies to whoever figures out what Seto's override code is.